In the summer 2006, Cunningham was offered a new job. The mayor offered to hire him as executive assistant. Cunningham took it.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:49:18 PM

Worked there till 2008.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:49:27 PM

The agreement with Jones was still in effect when he took the new job with the city.

As exec asst., Cunningham went with Kilpatrick to events, followed the schedule, made sure the mayor was ready for those events.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:50:32 PM

Cunningham altered the consulting agreement. He was supposed to be paid 25k a quarter.

Before submitting it to the Law Department for scrutiny, Cunningham edited the contract to say he was making just 15k a quarter. "I just didn't want anyone to know what I was making."

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:51:47 PM

Cunningham said he had given money to Bernard Kilpatrick, said he was worried he would have to give more if anyone knew how much Cunningham was actually making.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:53:15 PM

Bullotta doesn't ask why at the moment. But we'll probably get to that.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:53:29 PM

There was a meeting at Mosaic, a restaurant/bar in Greektown, with Chris Jackson, Jeff Beasley and the mayor. (Beasley was a Kilpatrick appointee to the pension boards.)

Someone said on this deal, you have to make sure you go into this deal with Bernard Kilpatrick, ,the mayor's father.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:54:36 PM

Not sure if the $30 million had been approved at that point, Cunningham says.

He also says he's not sure which person told him Bernard had to be in the deal.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:55:09 PM

The $30 million -- $15m from police/fire pension, $15m from the general fund -- was approved. Cunningham started getting his 25k quarterly payments.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:56:06 PM

"I would give Bernard 3, 4, 5,000 at a time," Cunningham says of each payment he received from Jones' company. .

"It was understood...he was in the deal. You know, at that time, to try to gain favor, the mayor ... knew I was trying to look out for his dad... to thank him for the deal, make sure his dad was taken care of... thank the mayor for making sure that deal went through."

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:57:57 PM

The payments were cash. "Quick handsake to handshake, cash in hand."

In discreet locations, the barber shop in the city-county building.

"I would keep it low-key. We didn't want anybody to know we were doing that," Cunningham says.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:59:04 PM

How many times did you do that?

"Four, five, maybe six," Cunningham says.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 2:59:40 PM

(To clarify, Cunningham was a city employee but was also being paid as a consultant by his "uncle" Jones' company, which got $30 million in investment from Detroit's pension funds.)

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:01:17 PM

Cunningham would also update the mayor when payments were made to his father.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:01:37 PM

On occasion, Cunningham would give Bernard less than $4k in these cash payments, which Bernard would note.

"it's a little light," Bernard would say.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:02:17 PM

When money was tight, the mayor sometimes told me I could pay less to his dad.

Kwame Kilpatrick would tell Cunningham: "You can take it easy on my dad this month." meaning "I didn't have to give him as much."

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:03:50 PM

Bullotta moves on now to the mayor's physical office. Cunningham says he worked in there. Bullotta is having him describe the physical layout by looking at photos that are on the big screen.

There's a "private little chamber room."

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:04:51 PM

Cunningham on occasion saw the mayor go into this room alone, on separate occasions, with Emma Bell or Bernard Kilpatrick or Bobby Ferguson.

There was a big green antique barber chair in there.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:05:40 PM

Bullotta: Were you told why you couldn't go in there?

It was private conversations, Cunningham says.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:06:08 PM

Were any areas of the office swept for bugs?

"They swept that room as well as the other office, for bugs. ... The main room and the private chamber room, as well," Cunningham says.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:07:27 PM

In Sept. 2007, did you get a call with a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer about a sting operation by the FBI?

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:08:00 PM

Yes, he says.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:08:26 PM

In April 2007, Cunningham was working with the mayor, some out of town folks met with him about insurance. Took $5k in cash from them.

The people turned out to be informants working for the FBI.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:09:05 PM

When that reporter called months later, Cunningham says he was all like, "Oh, my gosh."

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:09:20 PM

Cunningham told the mayor.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:09:31 PM

Cunningham said he had been planning to put the money in the Kilpatrick Civic Fund anyway and he told the mayor that. KK told him to go ahead and do that.

They talked about this at the airport, because "I assumed the phones could be bugged" at the office.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:10:27 PM

Bullotta: What was KK reaction when you told him what had happened?

"Classic setup. Should have known better. I said, yeah, I know," Cunningham says.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:11:20 PM

Backing up, KK had told Cunningham to put the money in the civic fund and get a receipt, but later changed his mind, saying "that's not gonna work."

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:11:49 PM

Bullotta: Did you ever talk to the mayor about further payments to Bernard after this FBI sting?

"He told me to lay off of that... You're kind of hot right now." Then KK moved him out of the mayor's office to the film department. Cunningham would be a liaison to the film industry.

Did KK tell you why he transferred you?

"I was just 'hot' at that time, under investigation potentially," Cunningham says.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:14:24 PM

In 2008, Cunningham says he learned his cell phone was tapped by the FBI.

Found out from a reporter who came by.

(I believe that was me and Elrick, by the way. Cunningham lied to us that day.)

Cunningham talked to the mayor at the Manoogian after the reporter visit.

The mayor said, "I've been telling y'all to stay off those phones," Cunningham says

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:16:34 PM

The mayor showed Cunningham a letter from the FBI, saying the phone was tapped.

They walked outside in the back of the house by the river for this conversation. "We was covering our mouths because it was like the FBI was watching. It was that kind of a mood," Cunningham says.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:17:48 PM

Cunningham said they should get different phones.

Mayor gave him some cash and Cunningham went out and got some "burners, burnout" phones from Metro PCS. Got like six of them, he says. The kind of phone that is good for about 30 days.

by Jim Schaefer12/21/2012 3:18:54 PM

Gave one to Jonathan Quarles, the mayor's new exec asst. And the mayor.

They kept the other lines, still kept the Blackberries, but put them in Cunningham's name.